The present invention relates to an electron-emitting device used for manufacturing electron-charged water, counteracting and removing chemical substances, or increasing an anion concentration in air, as well as an electrode used in the electron-emitting device.
An electron-emitting device has been utilized for manufacturing electron-charged water which is used as drinking water, processed water, cooking water, bath water or the like for businesses such as processed food manufacturers, supermarkets and hotels and for households. The device has also been used for the purposes of counteracting and removing chemical substances contained in food, materials for processed food, livestock feed or the like as well as adding anions to air.
Some examples of the above-described electron-emitting devices have been disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication Nos. H5-137804, H7-204656 and H9-94581. An electron-emitting electrode connected with an output terminal of the electron-emitting device is submerged in water in a water tank or a bathtub and is charged with high electric potential, thereby generating electron-charged water.
In a method of manufacturing electron-charged water disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Publication No. H5-137804, a potential treatment device which takes out negative electrons having a specific waveform from an AC100V commercial power supply is used as an electron-emitting device for producing electron-charged water. The electron-emitting device, however, cannot generate current of more than 0.1 mA, and the charged potential is extremely low.
Therefore, there is substantially no effect of potential, which makes it difficult to efficiently manufacture electron-charged water.
An electron-emitting device used in a device for manufacturing electron-charged water disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Publication No. H7-204656 is a potential treatment device or an inverter. The electron-emitting device can generate an alternating or a pulsating current at a frequency of 5,000 to 500,000 Hz and a voltage of 1 to 100V. However, since the frequency range is too wide, it is difficult to select and fix an optimum frequency for efficiently manufacturing electron-charged water. Thus, if the selected frequency is wrong, it may take a long time to manufacture electron-charged water.
In a method of manufacturing electron-charged water disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. H9-94581, a device which generates high-voltage AC static potential at a frequency of 50/60 Hz and a voltage of 500 to 60,000V is employed as an electron-emitting device. The device, however, needs to have a large-scaled insulation structure in order to prevent electric leakage and for safety because the device generates a high voltage of 500 to 60,000V.
A conventional electron-emitting electrode which is used in combination with an electron-emitting device for manufacturing electron-charged water has such a structure that a metal alligator clip is provided on an end of a copper wire connected to an electron-emitting device. A tank, a table, a bathtub, or the like, where an object to be processed such as drinking water, food and bath water are placed, are electrically insulated from earth using an insulating material such as an insulator, and a metal member clamped by an alligator clip is submerged in water or the object to be processed is clamped by an alligator clip, thereby charging the electrode with a potential.
When adding anions to air in a room, a metal electrode electrically insulated with an insulating material such as an insulator, is hung from a ceiling or on a wall and clamped by an alligator clip provided on an end of a copper wire which is connected to an electron-emitting device.
According to the above methods, however, an object has to be kept insulated from earth, a ceiling or the like. Therefore, the system is complicated and large-scaled and requires remodeling to secure a space for installation. Thus, such methods cannot be easily implemented and remain inconvenient.
To solve the above problems, the other techniques for manufacturing electron-charged water are disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publications Nos. H5-137804, H7-204656 and H9-94581.
In a method for manufacturing electron-charged water disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. H5-137804, it is not necessary to keep a bathtub itself insulated. However, water in a bathtub needs to be kept insulated using a pad, sheet or the like made of nonconductive material, which causes problems in practice. Furthermore, since it is substantially impossible to completely insulate water in a bathtub, electrical leakage may occur.
A method of manufacturing electron-charged water disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. H7-204656 does not need any insulators. In this case, however, water in a non-insulated vessel is directly charged with potential, presenting the possibility of electrical leakage.
According to a method of manufacturing electron-charged water disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. H9-94581, a water vessel need not be kept insulated by use of a stainless steel electron radiation electrode coated with electric insulating resin. Nevertheless, compared with a non-coated stainless steel electron radiation electrode, the stainless steel electron radiation electrode, because it is covered with insulating resin, has low electron radiating function, which tends to require a longer time to manufacture electrically-processed water.
In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide an electron-emitting device having high safety and endurance which can negatively charge and activate an object to be processed efficiently, and an electrode for an electron-emitting device which is safe and can negatively charge and activate an object to be processed efficiently without requiring insulation of an object to be processed, a vessel or the like.
The electron-emitting device of the present invention is a device comprising a primary coil and a secondary coil wound on an I-core, an E-core combined with the I-core, and a single output terminal extended from one end of the secondary coil. By this structure, high potential is generated by adding an electric field of the secondary coil around a magnetic field of the I-core, and high electrostatic potential is obtained by employing only one output terminal as a single output terminal from two output terminals of the secondary coil. Thus, an object to be processed can be negatively charged and activated efficiently while enhancing safety.
In the above electron-emitting device, the secondary coil is divided into two sections and wound on plural parts on the I-core so that potential of the secondary coil is efficiently increased, thereby providing higher electrostatic potential.
A leakage path iron core which is coated with insulating material is provided between the primary coil and the secondary coil. In the case that the device is damaged, the leakage path iron core functions as electrical resistance so as to check an increase of current flowing to the secondary coil, which further enhances safety.
The E-core is provided so as to surround the I-core, the primary core and the secondary core. By this structure, the magnetic field becomes stable, thereby limiting fluctuation of the potential. Further, if an insulating gap is formed between the secondary coil and the E-core, troubles such as damage in an internal insulation can be prevented.
In the electron-emitting device, alternating current generated in an output terminal is adjustable within a range from 3,000V to 15,000V. Thus, an optimum current can be fixed depending on a capacity, form and characteristic of a load or an object to be processed, and the object can be charged with the most efficient electrostatic potential.
An electrode for an electron-emitting device of the present invention comprises a plurality of bottom-closed cylindrical members in which at least one of the bottom-closed cylindrical members is made of insulating material, the bottom-closed cylindrical members being combined to be nested, an insulator-coated conductor of which an end is inserted into an innermost member of the bottom-closed cylindrical members, tourmaline powder filling a gap between the innermost bottom-closed cylindrical member and the insulator-coated conductor and/or a gap between the plurality of the bottom-closed cylindrical members, and an insulating seal member which seals openings of the plurality of the bottom-closed cylindrical members. The term xe2x80x9cnestedxe2x80x9d used here describes an aggregation of a plurality of bottom-closed cylindrical members having different outer diameters wherein a member having a smaller outer diameter is inserted into a member having a larger outer diameter consecutively.
By employing the above structure, the electrode itself, which comprises a plurality of bottom-closed cylindrical members and tourmaline powder, functions as a capacitor. In the electron-emitting device, when an insulator-coated conductor is charged with high electrostatic potential, a large amount of electrons are radiated into the bottom-closed cylindrical members from the tourmaline powder. These electrons are then supplied to an object to be processed as a wave or undulation so that the object is negatively charged and activated efficiently. The reason for this phenomenon has not yet been clarified; however, it is assumed that tourmaline, when charged with high electrostatic potential, generates a large amount of electrons because tourmaline, unlike other minerals, has such property that the positive pole and the negative pole are formed on both sides of the crystal, respectively, and is also chargeable.
In the insulator-coated conductor which is to be charged with high electrostatic potential, the outer periphery and the end thereof are wholly coated with insulating material, and the insulator-coated conductor is also completely covered with at least one bottom-closed cylindrical member made of insulating material and an insulating seal member. Therefore, an object to be processed does not require insulation. Further, if excessive current is generated due to damage in an electron-emitting device or the like, no electrical leakage is caused, which leads to greater safety.
In the above electrode for an electron-emitting device, at least one of the plurality of bottom-closed cylindrical members is a conductive cylindrical member. Thus, the insulator-coated conductor is insulated from earth potential, and invasion of anions having an opposite molecular structure is interrupted, thereby enhancing electron-emitting function. Therefore, an object to be processed is negatively charged and activated more efficiently. Furthermore, the enhanced electron-emitting function also improves the function of preventing internal damages in an electron-emitting device, which leads to higher safety.
As the tourmaline powder, fluid powder having a diameter of 1 xcexcm to 5 mm is used, which makes it easier to fill the bottom-closed cylindrical members having different inner diameters which are combined to be nested. Thus, an excellent electron-emitting effect can be exhibited. It is expected from experience that the smaller the diameter of the powder is, the clearer the positive and negative poles formed on the both sides of the crystal are, which will enhance electron-emitting function.
As a conductive cylindrical member, a stainless steel pipe is used, and as an insulating cylindrical body, a pipe made of either of polyethylene, glass, pottery or ceramic is used. As an insulating seal member, silicone resin is used.